Letter from Reiman's to serviceman's wife a big Internet hit

A letter from Reiman Harley-Davidson in Kewanee to the wife of a soldier deployed overseas has become an Internet sensation.

A photo of the letter was posted on Facebook, and as of Wednesday afternoon it had been shared more than 222,000 times.

Dennie Packee, owner of Reiman’s, said the story began when the dealership received a letter from Jamie Walters of Geneseo. The letter came with a check for the fee for storing Jamie’s husband, Christopher’s, motorcycle.

In the letter, Jamie apologized for being late in sending the check, and said the reason was that Christopher, who is in the Army, had been deployed.

When an employee showed Packee the letter, he said, “For God’s sake, send that back to her.”

Packee said it has always been his policy to store motorcycles for service members who are overseas.

“If I knowingly know that they were deployed I kept their bike for them,” he said. “And I don’t care what brand it is. I’ve always done that.”

So the check was returned, along with a letter that read:

Dear Christopher and Jamie,

Enclosed you will find the check you mailed to us regarding the account of Christopher. It is the policy of Reiman’s Harley-Davidson to waive storage fees for our active-duty service members who are deployed. It is our honor to keep your bike safe and secure while you provide us with our freedoms. We hope you return to us safe and sound. Until that time, we will store your bike at no charge to you. This our way of saying “Thank you” for your service to our country.

“It’s just a little space in our building,” Packee said. “They’re giving a lot more than we’re giving them.”

Packee didn’t think any more about it — until the phone started ringing.

First, he received a call from someone in New York thanking him for his actions. Then, a call came in from California.

“I thought, ‘Wow, they’ve got relatives everywhere,’” Packee said.

The next call was from a soldier at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Packee asked the caller if he knew Christopher Walters, and he said he didn’t. He had seen the letter posted on Facebook.

Packee said he isn’t all that familiar with Facebook, but his son Scott is. Scott told him how far his letter had circulated on the Web.

But he said the call that really impressed him was from an admiral from an admiral at sea about the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

“And then a new call came in. His niece at the dealership handed Packee the phone, and the caller identified himself as Rear Admiral Terry Kraft, currently aboard the USS Ronald Reagan.

"I wanted to thank you for what you've done,” Rear Admiral Kraft said."It was very nice of you. I haven't got much time to talk to you — we are at sea — but you will be getting a letter from the Pentagon. God bless you for what you've done."

Floored, Packee replied, "Godspeed to you and your people."

Admiral Kraft closed the phone call with “USS Ronald Reagan, over and out."